


The ghost in the machine

by hikachu



Category: X -エックス- | X/1999
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-07
Updated: 2009-07-07
Packaged: 2018-03-12 03:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3341438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hikachu/pseuds/hikachu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's no way you can speak of love without lying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The ghost in the machine

"You see now, there's no way you can speak of love without lying,"

"But, you yourself used to say that I'm not good at lying." Subaru's voice is tired.

"Ah, people like you," Seishirou explains patiently, with a small smile, "people like you," he repeats, and there's something deceptively akin to fondness in his tone, "are so entangled in the lies that others have fed them, that, when they speak of love, they do so with pure intentions and firmly believing their words to be sincere."

"…Are you saying that I'm deluding myself?"

Seishirou's smile twitches; then grows larger.

"You were always so naïve…"

"Was it another lie, then, when you—"

"No, I don't think so."

"You're not making any sense, Seishirou-san."

"No? It's just that it's hard, making you understand. I simply wanted you to understand that day too."

"And what was there to understand?" Tired, tired, tired. So tired.

Laughter.

"That my eyes could see your beauty, that my ears could hear your voice, that my hands could touch yours and recognize them; that I was fully aware of your existence and I did not want anyone else to know you like I did. Attaching a label to this—really, what good would it do? When people try to talk of emotions they only make things more complicated than they are."

"This—This is really stupid."

"Stupid? How?" The man asks, sounding amused. "I think, stating that a machine moves because there's a spirit—some ineffable presence setting its gears in motion, now, that would be stupid, don't you think?"

"People aren't machines."

"No, they aren't. But too often they like to pretend they are much, much more than that…"

"And that, to you, would be wrong?"

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Subaru-kun. You wound me. Just when I was trying to be honest, for once—"

"If you were right, now that I can't see you anymore I would have stopped loving you." Subaru mutters.

He is not surprised when he receives no other answer than the soft whisper of wind against rice paper.


End file.
